The present invention generally relates to a system and method for controlling a medical device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for controlling a medical imaging system using a speech recognition and foot-controlled system.
Medical imaging systems are being used for a growing number of applications in the field of medicine. Medical imaging systems are typically used for diagnosis as well as for monitoring purposes during surgery. One type of medical imaging system commonly used during surgery is an ultrasound imaging system. Typical ultrasound systems operate by transmitting ultrasonic sound waves into a patient's body using a transducer. The transducer is typically a device placed on the patient's body over the area to be imaged that is capable of sending and receiving ultrasonic sound waves. The ultrasonic sound waves sent by the transducer are reflected by the patient's internal bodily structures. The reflected ultrasonic sound waves transmitted into the patient's body are then received by the transducer and processed to display a visual representation of the patient's internal bodily structures to the surgeon.
The received ultrasonic sound waves are typically processed by an ultrasonic imaging system and displayed in real time on a console for viewing by the examining physician. Typically, the console includes a control console as well as a viewing screen on which ultrasonic images are displayed. The control console typically includes a number of control devices. The control devices are typically manual controls such as dials, switches, knobs, or joysticks, for example, that may be used to manipulate the ultrasonic image displayed on the viewing screen. For example, the control devices may be used to control the resolution, magnification, viewing area, or orientation of the ultrasonic image. In typical ultrasound imaging systems, the ultrasonic images may only be adjusted or manipulated solely by the control devices.
Typically, the control console itself may be fairly large and may take up a substantial amount of space in an operating room. However, during surgery, the space around the surgeon may often be very limited. For example, multiple trays containing operating instruments, as well as other medical devices and support personnel may need to be near the surgeon to assist the surgeon during surgery. Therefore, there typically is not free space near the surgeon for the ultrasound imaging system and console during surgery. Consequently, the ultrasound imaging system and console may out of necessity need to be positioned up to several feet away from the surgeon and out of the immediate reach of the surgeon.
Typically when the console is positioned out of reach of the surgeon, the surgeon may be unable to use the control devices to manipulate the ultrasonic images during surgery. Because the surgeon is unable to manipulate the ultrasonic images during surgery, the surgery may become complicated by limiting the adjustibility of the ultrasonic image. If the surgeon must adjust the ultrasonic image, the surgeon may have to continually physically walk over to the console and then adjust the properties of the image using the control devices. Requiring the surgeon to continually walk over to the control devices to adjust the ultrasonic image may be time consuming, inefficient, or impractical if the surgery requires that the surgeon continually monitor the patient. Thus, typical ultrasonic imaging systems operable solely by control devices may be undesirable or inefficient for use by surgeons in situations where the available space around the surgeon is limited.
Even if the ultrasound imaging system and console are able to be positioned within reach of the surgeon, a number of drawbacks still exist in typical systems operable solely by console controls. For example, the surgeon's hands may be in use or too busy during the surgery to manually operate the control devices. Thus, while the surgeon may be able to reach the control devices, in practicality, the surgeon is still unable to use them. Even if the surgeon is able to operate the control devices during surgery, a number of drawbacks exist. For example, during surgery, the surgeon typically wears latex surgical gloves. The surgeon's gloves may often become covered with blood or other materials during surgery. Handling the control devices with soiled gloves may contaminate the control devices with unsterile materials, which may not present optimal sterile conditions. Thus, the control devices may have to be sterilized before, during, and after each surgery since the surgeon typically touches the control devices frequently during operation. Therefore, the control devices typically must to be made of materials that may be handled in a sterile environment.
Additionally, even sterilized control devices may be difficult to operate by a surgeon. After, the surgeon's gloves become covered with blood or other materials during surgery, the gloves may become slippery. Therefore, operation of the control devices by hand may become difficult after the surgeon's gloves become soiled. Thus, adjusting the control devices by hand in a sterile surgical environment may not be the most practical and efficient method of adjusting an ultrasonic image.
One method used to reduce some of the drawbacks associated with the limited amount of free space around a surgeon during surgery is the use of a remote control system. A remote control system is typically a compact hand-held unit including controls such as switches, dials, or joysticks, for example. Remote controls may be operable by either one or two hands. The remote control system may communicate with the medical imaging system by either a wireless transmission system or by a wire-based transmission system. The compact remote control system may be used to operate the functionality typically operated by the control devices and typically does not require that the control devices be within reach of the surgeon. Thus, the compact size of the remote control takes up less free space than the console controls.
However, remote control systems may also suffer from some significant drawbacks. For example, while the space required for the remote control system is typically less than the space required for the entire medical imaging system or console controls, some space is still required. Thus, in situations where there is very little or no free space around the surgeon, even remote control systems may still not be a viable alternative. Furthermore, remote controls systems still may present the same drawbacks that console controls exhibit with regard to sterilization and ease of use as discussed above. Additionally, the controls on the remote control system may actually be smaller than the control devices on the console to save space and thus the remote control system may be more difficult for a surgeon to manipulate, especially with soiled gloves.
One method used to reduce some of the drawbacks associated with medical imaging systems operable by control devices or remote control systems is the use of a foot-controlled console. Foot-controlled consoles are typically comprised of at least one foot-input device such as pedals, switches, or joystick-type devices for example, that may be operated by the surgeon's foot. In the medical imaging system field, such foot-controlled consoles may be used to control the functions typically controlled by the control devices of the medical imaging system.
Typically, the foot-controlled console may be placed on the floor near the surgeon's feet where operation room space is typically available. Thus, the surgeon may still control the functionality of the control console of the medical imaging system, via the foot-controlled console, even though the control console may be positioned out of reach of the surgeon. That is, although the foot-controlled console may not occupy any space in the limited operating space directly around the surgeon's hands and torso, the foot-controlled console allows for hands-free operation of the functionality of the medical imaging system's control devices by the surgeon during surgery. Hands-free operation may reduce the problems associated with manually operating control devices or remote controls as discussed above.
However, the typical foot-controlled console system may still suffer from some significant drawbacks. One drawback that may occur in typical foot-controlled consoles is reduced functionality. That is, the foot-controlled console may lack much of the functionality that the control console has. The reduced functionality of foot-controlled consoles may occur for a number of reasons. One reason a foot-controlled console may lack some of the functionality that the control console has is that there is limited space available on a foot-controlled console. Typical control consoles may include a large number of control devices for a wide variety of features of the medical imaging system. Therefore, in order to accommodate control of each feature of the medical imaging system, a large number of foot-input devices may need to be placed on the foot-controlled console. Because the surgeon's feet are typically larger and less agile than the surgeon's hands, the foot-input devices on the foot-controlled console typically may be larger and spaced further apart than the corresponding control devices on a typical control console. Thus, if the number of control devices on the medical imaging system console is high, the corresponding foot-controlled console may become too large and inefficient to use in practice. Therefore, in order to keep the foot-controlled console compact enough for efficient use, a limited number of foot-input devices, typically less than the number of control devices, may have to be placed on the foot-controlled console limiting the functionality of the foot-controlled console.
In applications outside of the medical imaging field, control and functionality of various systems have been provided by voice-controlled systems. For example, the use of voice-controlled systems has been adopted in fields such as computer science to facilitate hands-free operation of personal computers. Typical voice-controlled systems utilize a microphone and a speech recognition system. Typically, an operator speaks a verbal command into the microphone, and the command is then transmitted to the speech recognition system. The speech recognition system is typically pre-programmed to recognize the command. After recognizing the verbal command, the speech recognition system typically sends a signal to the device being controlled to perform the operator's command. Thus, speech recognition systems allow an operator to control a device in a completely hands-free manner. However, voice-controlled systems may suffer from some significant drawbacks. These drawbacks may make the use of typical voice-controlled systems in the medical imaging field very difficult.
For example, one drawback that may be present in speech recognition systems is the inability to make fine adjustments to continuous controls such as a joystick, trackball, or dial, for example. That is, verbal commands typically are not able to provide small continuous movements of controls, which may often be required of medical imaging systems. Therefore, the use of speech recognition systems may not be optimal for surgical applications because of their inability to perform fine adjustment. Another drawback is that typical speech recognition systems may react slowly to commands. Therefore, in a real-time environment such as during surgery, a significant lag time between a command and execution of the command may complicate the surgery or hinder progress. Furthermore, speech recognition systems are typically sensitive to external noise. That is, speech recognition systems typically need to be operated in a quiet environment to function properly. Noises other than the operator's voice, such as other voices or noise from other devices in surgery for example, may cause the speech recognition system to register false commands.
Thus, a need exists for a medical imaging control system that may be efficiently used in the limited operating area of a surgeon. A need further exists for a medical imaging control system that may be efficiently used in the limited operating area of a surgeon while maintaining all of the functionality available to console controls. Additionally, a need exists for a medical imaging control system that allows for the efficient control of continuous controls such as joysticks, trackballs, or dials, for example, during surgery.